Constant Lighting

[lewis947]

I have a lighted daylight passenger train with light kits installed. I am using DCC but I still get flicker as the train travels. I remember an articale in Model Railroader that detailed how to install constrant lighting. Do you remember the article or do you have the electronic instructions to build.

[orsonroy]

Lighting passenger cars for use on a DCC layout will require a different circuit than a standard DC layout, due to the higher voltages involved with DCC.

Your best (and simplest) alternative is to make the lighting circuit completely self-contained. Add a twin AA battery holder (or a 9-volt) to the car, add a simple on/off switch, and run the wires to the bulbs (or LEDs, which will require a rersistor, but will basically never burn out). If you want the cars to pick up power from the rails, you should probably ask this question on one of the dedicated DCC forums, to gather the largest number of suggestions.

[Don Gibson]

THE FICKLE FLICKER of FATE in illuminating Passenger cars:

1. So far ONLY Richmond Cotrols has 'flicker proof' lighting @ $40 - $65 per car. It works!
2. A small 'regulating' power supply feeding a re-chargable 1.5v. battery and 1.5v bulbs. - you have to make it. None available commercially.
3. Orson's suggestion: a simple single AA Battery with on off switch to feed 1.5v 15ma bulbs or 2 AAA batteries to feed LED's - again with an on-off switch. mounted on bottom. (Cheapest).

NOTE:Real RR Cars with interior lights only show at Nightime, not in the Daytime.

I RECOMMEND (1) above for Tail end Observation cars adding red markers and lighted drumheads. (2) for Cabooses with Tomar marker lanterns. (2)(3) for red tail lights in AMTRAK superliner's.... but haven't tried Walthers' exclusive Budd car lighting system. Seem's to be good and priced right. Someone else needs to report.
PROBLEM is current consumption lighting a whole train with multiple bulbs, since it takes 4 bulbs per car, plus flicker.

[cacole]

Since you're running DCC, the light flicker is most likely caused by dirty wheels on the passenger cars. The cheapest and simplest cure would be to wire a non-polarized electrolytic capacitor into the light circuit. The cap would hold enough charge to smooth out the flickering caused by dirty wheels. Hiding the cap would be the biggest challenge. To keep them small and inconspicuous, you could wire two or three smaller value caps in series. The voltage rating of an electrolytic capacitor is more critical than the capacity rating, so be sure you use high-voltage caps. The general rule is to use a capacitor of three times the actual voltage. The capacitor would tend to increase the voltage going to the lights, so a resistor may need to be added to the circuit to prolong bulb life. All Electronics (www.allelectronics.com) has 100 Volt, 2.2 microfarad non-polarized caps priced at 50 cents each in lots of 1-9, or 45 cents in lots of 10+.

[Don Gibson]

CACOLE:

I did some experimentiing with that 'nice' theory. The 'practical' side is:

1. It takes a minimum of 15,000 mfd's to reduce the flicker enough.
2. Bipolar Capacitors are next to impossible to find, but you'll then need 30,000mfd's.You CAN put two electrolytics (above) face to face - if you can find the room. Even with 15,000 mfds wheel pickup was spotty. I went to TOMAR wipers.

.A Battery and switch is much easier.

[Don Gibson]

CACOLE:

I did some experimentiing with that 'nice' theory. The 'practical' side is:

1. It takes a minimum of 15,000 mfd's to reduce the flicker enough.
2. Bipolar Capacitors are next to impossible to find, but you'll then need 30,000mfd's.You CAN put two electrolytics (above) face to face - if you can find the room. Even with 15,000 mfds wheel pickup was spotty. I went to TOMAR wipers.

.A Battery and switch is much easier.